✓RESULTSandSCORES

DURBAN schoolgirl, Drew Townley, 14, of Westville, won the gold medal for kumite (fighting) in the girls’ 14-yearold division at the JKA (Japan Karate Association) 14th World Championships held last week at the University of Limerick in Ireland.

Townley beat Japanese girls in the semi-final and final to clinch South Africa’s only gold medal at the championships. It is also the first gold medal for a South African since the Shoto Cup was held in Paris in 1998.

South Africa won three medals overall – a gold, a silver and a bronze – while the vast majority of the medals went to Japanese contestants.

All together 53 countries took part competing in the Funakoshi Gichin Cup Karate World Championship Tournament which is held every three years and is one of the biggest, most respected and toughest traditional karate competitions in the world.

Townley, who is a Black Belt, 1st Dan, shodan, trains under JKA national coach Sensei Karin Prinsloo at the Pinetown JKA Karate at Cowies Hill.

Prinsloo summed up Townley’s gold medal performance as one on behalf of the whole country and also for all nonJapanese members of the JKA Karate world.

“At world championship level it is virtually Japan against the rest of the world,” said Prinsloo.”

Townley began her karate training in 2011. She was awarded her Junior Protea colours for the sport two years later when she first represented South Africa at the sixth Youth Cup Championships of the WKF in Corfu, Greece.

On being declared the winner of the Girls 14 years kumite title, Townley said: “I was absolutely elated; it was a dream come true.” HORSES and riders from around the country, Zimbabwe and Namibia, were in outstanding form at the inaugural Shongweni Showjumping Festival at the Shongweni Club near Durban recently.

Lisa Williams of Kyalami consolidated her lead at the top of the South African FEI Jumping standings.

Williams took full advantage of the perfect conditions on the day and the immaculate course built to international standards by Germany’s Stefan Wirth, showing irresistible form on her Hanovarian gelding, Discovery Campbell, to win the fourth leg of the South African FEI WCQ (World Cup Qualifier) competition.

Andre Shrink of Land Rover (Durban), presented Williams with the Andreas Hollmann Memorial Trophy in memory of the late international course designer who built numerous courses for FEI WCQ shows in KwaZulu-Natal.

Martin Minett of Pietermaritzburg and his Namibian warmblood gelding, Zonjati Bonny Clyde, were worthy winners of the 1.40m FNB KwaZulu-Natal Outdoor Grand Prix Championship and received the Tongaat Hullett KZN Showjumping Grand Prix Floating Trophy from Howard Arrand, the provincial head of FNB Business (KZN).

MC Craig Peters, of event organisers Highway Shows, said the concept of hosting the FEI WCQ and top Championship Classes on the Saturday, followed by the Gala Awards in the evening had proved to be a winning formula.

Peters paid tribute to Wirth who was responsible for the courses in the main arena, and Ryan Sander, who designed the courses in the B Arena.